Though the Shadow Spectres have a long and glorious history fighting in the Emperors name, their exact origins and earliest days are clouded and mysterious. The Shadow Spectres have been known to occasionally fight alongside different Ordo (Inquisition) forces. There also have been a couple dozen of Battle-Brothers who have been seconded to Deathwatch Kill-teams of the Ordo Xenos. The Shadow Spectres are a proud and honourable order, they fight in the name of the Emperor. They see themselves as instruments of death, bringing punishment to the enemies of the Emperor.

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Homeworld:

The Shadow Spectres have no specific homeworld, they are a fleet-based chapter.
Their Chapter fortress is a mighty Battle Barge known as The Emperor&#39;s Shadow. The rest of the fleet consists of two more Battle Barges called The Black Ghost and The Black Spectre, 10 Strike Cruisers, 5 Rapid Strike Cruisers and numerous Thunderhawk transports and gunships aboard those ships. While there is no fixed base of operations for the Shadow Spectres, there are a number of planets that they consistently draw their potential recruits from. These worlds vary from industrial Hive worlds to lethal Death worlds. The Shadow Spectres mostly have small (hidden) base of operations on the planets where they draw their potential recruits from. These could be lunar stations or outposts that are hidden under the planets surface.

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Recruitment:

The Chapter is in constant need of new recruits and thus the Imperial citizens on the various recruiting planets are constantly monitored to find suitable and able enough sons that can survive the initial rigors of training and treatment one must undergo to become a full-fledged Space Marine of the Shadow Spectres. When a potential recruit is found, the Shadow Spectres will take the recruit from its living environment in the darkness never to return and see its biological family again. The next morning Imperial citizens have been claiming that &#39;&#39;the Shadows took their sons&#39;&#39;. The recruit will undergo all the training and medical treatment that is necessary to become a full grown Space Marine. Only a small portion will survive this and they will be placed in the 10th Company as a Scout, training even further to become a Battle Brother. The ones that fail the training will either die of their wounds or be turned into a mindless servitor, the recruit will still serve the Chapter in a less honourable way

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Combat doctrine:

The Chapter follows the battlefield doctrine based in the Codex Astartes closely, but have amended it to allow their own tactics. The Shadow Spectres believe in studying the enemy and predicting their movements before launching any attacks. In battle, the Shadow Spectres destroy enemy units with utter ruthlessness and precision. The Shadow Spectres have several different ways to face the enemies of mankind. Because they are a fleet based Chapter, the Drop-pod assault is used to overwhelm and surprise the foe. When they are in need of more resources like tanks and other heavy equipment, Thunderhawks are used to drop the vehicles and equipment to the planets surface. The Shadow Spectres prefer to take the fight to the enemy in close-ranged fire fights and brutal close combat. The Shadow Spectres are highly trained in the use of specialised urban warfare and thus are masters when it comes to fighting in dense city streets. The Shadow Spectres also prefer the use of stealth and infiltration.

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Organisation:

The Organisation of the Shadow Spectres follows the standard practices laid down in the Codex Astartes, the Companies of the Shadow Spectres generally fight as one would expect from a disciplined force of the Adeptus Astartes. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th are Battle Companies, and these four Companies form the main battle lines and generally bear the brunt of the fighting. The specialist Companies are kept in reserve and only deployed when necessary. The 1st Company is the Veterans company, consisting of mostly veterans in Terminator armour and several (Venerable) Dreadnoughts. The 10th company is the Scouts company. Each Company is led by a Captain and he is supported by a Chaplain and a Librarian. Most of the times when a Battle Barge is away from The Emperor&#39;s Shadow, it carries a Scout squad from the 10th company and a Terminator squad from the 1st company with them. A Battle Barge mostly carries two companies with it, one battle company and the other as reserve.

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The Shadow Council:

The Shadow Spectres have no Chapter Master. Instead, the 10 Company Commanders with the guidance of the Chief Librarian and Master of Sanctity form a so called Shadow Council. It is in this council where decisions are made about the Chapters actions. As such, there is no single Commander of the Chapter, it is said that it was a precaution implemented so that no one man can lead the entire Chapter astray. Each of the Company Commanders has its own duty and responsibilities. Therefore, they all bear a honorific title next to their rank as Captain. For example, the Captain of the 3rd Company has the title of Commander of the Watch and the Captain of the 10th Company is the Chief of Recruits.

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Beliefs:

Like many Chapters, the Shadow Spectres do not venerate the Emperor as a god, but as the mightiest of men. They see the Emperor as their one and only father. This is allayed by the fact that they do not know the identity of their Primarch, which leads them to give praise to the Emperor with a fervour greater than almost any other chapter.

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Geneseed:

The Shadow Spectres geneseed is relatively stable, there are little known mutations. There has been much speculation regarding which of the Founding Chapters the Shadow Spectres geneseed is derived from. The Ultramarines have been suggested, but this is likely to be based simply on the fact that a lot of chapters geneseed is derived from the Ultramarines because of their stable geneseed. No facts have ever been presented to establish a definitive single source of the genetic material that makes up the chapter. The fact that the Shadow Spectres themselves have no record of the chapter they descended from implies that they could easily have been a chapter created in anticipation of some threat to the Imperium in centuries past that has since been met and defeated. The real reason about their founding remains a mystery

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Appearance:

The Shadow Spectres have their armour painted as black as the night. This will help them to remain unseen until they are ready to strike. Metal parts like the backpack and the chest eagle are painted with Boltgun metal. The shoulder pad rims and the lower part of the helmet are painted with Kommando Khaki and highlighted with Bleached bone giving them a Ghostly appearance. The squad badges and markings are Skull white. The eyes can be either red or green. They mostly have Urban basing because they regularly fight in city streets. The weapons are a mix with Black, metal and sometimes grey parts.

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Battlecry:

Each Company has its own motto or Battlecry. Since the Shadow Spectres are used to fighting with stealth and infiltration, a Battlecry is not always appropriate and thus they use a Company motto instead. Before a battle, the Chaplain will always perform the battle prayers and blessings.

But remember to paint the marine first before you go to the wargear section. You can also choose beakie helmets and modify it with older types of armour. Its really great, so I suggest you just go there and try out some stuff.

Here are some more examples of what you can do with it:

Notice the following:

Numbers on the Knee pads
Purity seals
Troop marking on shoulder pad
Grenade
Belt pouches
You can change the chest skull into an Eagle
Eye sight
Small skull on helmet
Bolter
Bolt pistol
Chainsword
You can add dirt
Remove some shading